


rose-colored mindset

by 5sosandfood



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: :‘(, M/M, luke and ashton meet on a plane, this is fluffy and sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 07:32:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1296616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5sosandfood/pseuds/5sosandfood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>it was rather cute how luke and ashton met, but ashton learns that "cute" doesn't last forever</p>
            </blockquote>





	rose-colored mindset

**Author's Note:**

> the title is from holly henry's "katie" :)

It’s rather cute when Ashton sits back and ponders it, the way he and Luke had met.

 

They were just a couple teenagers on a plane to LA, Luke going to chase after his dream of being a musician and Ashton going just to get out of Australia. When they were sat next to each other, Ashton didn’t really intend on talking to him. Maybe just admire him, because even then Luke was hot as hell.

 

Ashton had been working at KFC in Sydney and saved up enough money to get to LA, with some overflow cash that could be spent has he pleased and he pleased to have a bit of alcohol on this painstakingly long plane ride.

 

He remembers a tap on his arm after the stewardess brought him his Jack Daniels and Coke.

 

“Hi,” Ashton said, directing his attention to the boy who had tapped on his arm.

 

“Hey, um, can I have some of that? Like, just a sip. I’m only 17 so I can’t buy my own,” he had said, his eyes pulling the puppy-dog look and Ashton just couldn’t bring himself to say no.

 

“Alright,” Ashton complied, doing a quick scan down the aisle to make sure the stewardess couldn’t see him. “Just make it quick. I don’t want the stewardess to see you.”

 

Luke had nodded and quickly gotten a sip. Well, it wasn’t even really a sip, if Ashton remembers correctly. It was barely a drop and Ashton was curious if Luke had even gotten a taste, but he didn’t say anything.

 

Luke had had a People magazine, but it may have been Us. It doesn’t really matter though, because whatever it was, Luke was quite interested in it and Ashton was able to admire him without being noticed.

 

“Humph,” Ashton had accidentally made a sound while mentally pondering Luke’s lip ring. Ashton thought his noise had gone unnoticed, but apparently it hadn’t and Luke looked up from his tabloid. “Uh, did it hurt?” Luke had knitted his eyebrows slightly.

 

“When I fell from heaven or Tennessee?” Luke had asked in a snarky tone, probably thinking Ashton wanted to rape him.

 

“N-No,” Ashton sputtered, flustered. “Lip. Your lip ring. Did that hurt?”

 

“Oh,” Luke mumbled, his cheeks burning red for sounding like an ego-maniac. “Um, yeah. Kinda.”

 

“I figured,” Ashton muttered, glancing away for just a second before he decided to carry in the conversation. “So you said you’re only 17? What makes you wanna go across the Pacific Ocean at such a young age?”

 

“I wanna be a musician,” Luke had shrugged, closing his magazine. “Australia isn’t really the place to do that.” Ashton had nodded in understanding, then looked away before Luke proceeded with the conversation. “Well, what about you? You can’t be much older than me.”

 

“I’m 19,” Ashton stated, situating himself at an angle that faced Luke. “I was just really tired of Sydney, I guess. There was nothing for me there. I mean, I don’t even really know what’s for me, but…” Ashton’s voice trailed off into nothingness and he wasn’t sure how they would keep the conversation going now.

 

“I’m Luke, by the way.” Ashton’s first thought was that he looked like a Luke.

 

“Ashton,” he mimicked, putting his hand out to shake Luke’s.

 

“I bet you’re leaving a lot back in Sydney,” Luke had mused, not even sparing Ashton a glance. “You’re 19, I’d think you’d be settling down, or thinking about it, anyway. I bet you’ve got a girlfriend back in Sydney that you’re leaving. It probably sucks, doesn’t it?”

 

“It wouldn’t really make sense for me to have a girlfriend when I’m not even into girls, would it?” Ashton had stated, quirking an eyebrow at Luke.

 

“Well, I… I guess not,” Luke mumbled.

 

“Sorry if I make ya feel weird,” Ashton had apologized, sensing the tension that suddenly washed over them. “I’ve just always been really open with my sexuality; some people don’t like it.”

 

“No, it’s fine,” Luke had told him. “I mean, I think about mine sometimes—my sexuality, that is—and I kinda think I may be into guys too? Like, I know I’m really young and all, so I can’t really make a decision for the rest of my life yet, but…” Luke’s voice trailed off and Ashton had tilted his head in amusement. “When did you find out you were… you know…” Ashton remembers chuckling at Luke.

 

“Gay?” he had supplied and Luke nodded, a redness coming to his cheeks. “I was 16, actually. Any age is suitable to discover your sexuality, Luke. Hell, some guys start a family with a wife and kids then find out they’re gay.”

 

And so they talk for the rest of the flight. Luke makes it not so painstakingly long.

 

“Hey, um, you’re not meeting anyone here, are you?” Ashton asked Luke when they had exited the terminal. Luke looked up from his phone—probably texting his mum.

 

“Uh, no. No, I’m on my own from here on out.” Luke had dryly chuckled.

 

“Well, do you wanna, like, grab some lunch—or, dinner? I have no idea what time it is here.”

 

It’s dinner. Luke and Ashton go out for dinner and to this day, Ashton marks that as their first date.

 

The place isn’t really fancy which, in a way, makes it even cuter how Luke and Ashton met.

 

Ashton remembers ordering a beer and then being asked to show his ID. When the waiter denied him any alcohol, Ashton nearly went on a rampage; why the fuck is it legal to smoke at 18 but illegal to drink? Ashton didn’t want to believe that America was as bad as Australia yet, but over time, he grew to learn so.

 

And from that first date things were good—well, relationship wise anyway. Although Ashton found a job pretty quickly at Pollo Loco, Luke was struggling. It was a little harder to find a label than he had expected, so Ashton let Luke live with him until Luke could stand on his own two feet.

 

After about two months of Luke dropping off demos to every record label in LA and Ashton cooing him to sleep every night, saying “they’ll recognize your talent soon, babe. Trust me,” there was a break in the case.

 

“Ash! Ashton, you’ll never believe who called me back today!” Ashton remembers Luke bursting through the door at 5:22 PM on a Tuesday. Ashton remembers it all precisely.

 

“Who?” Ashton asked, looking away from the TV to his glowing boyfriend.

 

“Capitol Records! Ashton, they want to see me tomorrow!”

 

Ashton’s mouth had fallen agape and he didn’t even really know what to do. Maybe there was this small piece of him that was always hoping that Luke would never get signed, because that would mean Ashton had to let go of him.

 

“That-That’s amazing, baby. Oh my god, c’mere.” Ashton had decided to go with the good boyfriend tactic because even though he didn’t exactly want Luke to get signed, he loved to see Luke happy.

 

There were three more decent months after that. Capitol Records had, indeed, signed Luke and his first single had just been released.

 

It was everywhere.

 

Ashton couldn’t turn the fucking corner without hearing Luke’s voice in that song.

 

Luke developed a following a little too quickly, and Ashton couldn’t have been more jealous. Of course, Luke would come home every night, but sometimes it would be really late and Ashton would already be half asleep, so he didn’t quite get to enjoy Luke the way he wanted to. He would just always remember Luke kissing his forehead and saying “Night, babe. Love you.” And Ashton would hum in response because he didn’t even have the energy to say I love you and that was really something because before, Ashton always had the energy to say I love you.

 

Once the three months were up, Luke set out on his first tour. It was a radio tour, but it was still a tour and Ashton was still alone in their fucking penthouse and Ashton still had his shitty job at Pollo Loco.

 

While Luke was gone, his album had dropped and it skyrocketed to number one on _every single_ chart.

 

Luke was home for all of 12 days before he left again to do promotional shit for his album and Ashton was alone again.

 

Luke didn’t even Skype anymore and Ashton knew that it was all falling to pieces.

 

Which was totally true, because when Luke got home, he and Ashton called it quits after almost a year together.

 

Ashton moved out of the penthouse, and found a cheap apartment for himself. News articles told him that Luke had moved back to Sydney. Ashton wishes he could, but a Pollo Loco paycheck doesn’t afford a plane ticket.

 

Ashton spends his days alone now, thinking of airplanes and listening to 2000 Light Years From Home by the Rolling Stones.

**Author's Note:**

> this is also on my wattpad @5sosandfood under a different title


End file.
